Dr. Joyce Introduces Legislation to Support Telehealth Recovery Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Joyce, M.D, (PA-13) introduced the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act, which would permanently allow patients to continue receiving in home cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services under Medicare. The legislation is cosponsored by Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20).
“As a physician, I know the benefits of empowering patients to heal at home,” said Dr. Joyce. “This legislation is an important step toward ensuring that cardiac and pulmonary-care patients are able to recover and rehabilitate from the comfort and safety of their home or in the care setting of their choice. Offering patients the option to access care at home is a key part of my commitment to putting patients first in the healthcare system while improving health outcomes.”
“The Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act will help patients get out of the hospital, get back home, and get on the road to recovery,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta. “Patients recover better when they have the option to heal at home, rather than endure a lengthy hospital stay. This bill constructively applies one of the major lessons from the pandemic to improve access and quality of care for millions of Americans.”
During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily allowed certain cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs to be reimbursed for services provided or supervised virtually in a patient’s home. This temporary waiver increased access to proven and effective treatments for heart disease and led to improved health outcomes for patients. This legislation would not only safeguard that care can continue at the end of the current waiver period, but would take steps to ensure that all eligible patients are enrolled in, and have access to, necessary cardiac rehabilitation programs, which have been shown to reduce hospital readmission and increase life expectancy.
Heart disease is a leading cause of death and a growing problem across the country and it is now estimated that nearly 40% of Americans will have developed heart disease by 2030.1 This legislation will enable more seniors to access lifesaving programs to address this disease. Medicare currently covers Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation as they are proven and effective treatments. Both CMS and the CDC’s goal of enrolling 70% of eligible patients in cardiac rehabilitation programs can be more easily achieved if providers are also allowed to offer home-based programs in addition to those offered already.2 Cardiac rehab has been shown to reduce hospital readmissions and increase life expectancy in patients.3
“I heartily (in every sense of the word) and strongly endorse the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act,” said Dean Ornish, M.D., Founder & President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF. “My colleagues and I conducted the first randomized controlled trials showing that intensive lifestyle changes could reverse even severe coronary heart disease. Rather than getting worse and worse, most people who make these intensive lifestyle changes people can get better and better. Last year, CMS began covering this program when people do it from home. This enables us to help people wherever they live, including rural areas, making better care available to more people at lower cost, reducing health disparities and inequities. It is equally safe and effective when done virtually at home, and most patients prefer it.”
“Pritikin ICR applauds Congressman Joyce for introducing the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act, which will make virtual cardiac rehabilitation (CR), intensive cardiac rehabilitation (ICR), and pulmonary rehabilitation services available to patients via telehealth who would not otherwise be able to participate in these valuable clinical services," said Terry Rogers, President of Pritikin ICR. "Today, only 20 to 30% of eligible patients participate in CR/ICR due in part to distance to the nearest cardiac rehab facility, lack of dependable transportation, transportation costs and the availability of these services in rural and underserved parts of the country. During the pandemic, expanded access to CR and ICR greatly improved health outcomes for patients and this bill will preserve that access for Medicare beneficiaries."
“Heart disease impacts 1 in 4 Americans. Cardiac rehabilitation is life-saving, yet only 8% of eligible patients complete a full program. Virtual options for both heart and lung rehabilitation programs have helped patients across the country, and this legislation would continue the progress made in recent years. Ultimately, this would lead to better access and health outcomes for patients, providers, and hospitals. We thank Rep. Joyce for his leadership on this vitally important issue,” said Recora Cofounder, Ed Wu, MD. Recora works with health systems and provider groups to provide virtual offerings focused on heart health.
[1]https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/data-reports/factsheets/cardiac.html
2Chindhy S, Taub PR, Lavie CJ, Shen J. Current challenges in cardiac rehabilitation: strategies to overcome social factors and attendance barriers. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2020 Nov;18(11):777-789.
3JAMA Cardiol. 2019;4(12):1250-1259. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2019.4032
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